Review of Mrs. Rochester's Ghost

Jane is a writer for a small cable network show. When the show is canceled, her friend, Otis, invites her to come to California to tutor the daughter of a very wealthy man. Jane agrees and meets Evander Rochester's daughter, Sophia, age thirteen. Sophia's mother went on a relief trip to Africa and dies from a peanut allergy, and Evan finds out he is Sophia's father. He has no relationship with the girl and knows nothing about being a father. Jane is to tutor the girl in her studies, mainly in French, and to care for the dogs on the estate.

The book floats back and forth between Janes's story as the tutor and the man's drowned wife, Beatrice, a fascinating character. She was psychotic, had been a runway model, and was strikingly beautiful. Some flashback chapters written in her voice draw the reader in because the author does a fabulous job of putting the psychosis in Beatrice's voice. Beatrice tells us how she feels inside her broken and medically dulled mind. Her names for her husband and the caretakers and the descriptions she uses of her surroundings draw the reader inside to look out from her eyes.

Everyone knows the story of how Evander Rochester's wife Beatrice drowned in the ocean below the estate, although he tried to save her. Jane, new to the estate, sometimes sees apparitions and hears shrieks, but Evan tells her it is probably an owl, which seems reasonable. He houses her in a rustic cottage on the estate with a fabulous ocean view. Jane is discouraged from roaming around the estate.

A married Mexican couple is the estate's caretaker; Annunciata handles the household, and Hector is the groundskeeper. Annunciata puts medallions around the estate to keep ghosts away and always lights a votive candle after cleaning Jane's room.

On a trip into town, Jane runs into Rick, Beatrice's very attractive brother, who flirts but then later tells her Evan kept his sister locked up and was a sociopath. He gives Jane all sorts of reasons to be suspicious and turns a bit threatening, so she leaves and then avoids him.

Sophia eventually trusts Jane and responds better to her tutoring and kindness. She tells Jane she does not want Annunciata in her room because she says someone is stealing things from her room; clothing and other items are missing. Sophia has a hard shell and is very angry. Her mother is dead. Evan didn't know she existed until a few months ago, and he's not a father type. Although he tries, his business takes precedence. Jane is kind and understanding, still demanding good schoolwork from Sophia. Sophia ends up being dumped by her best friend. Concerned, Jane talks to her, and what happened was a cruel teenage prank and inappropriate, but she helps Sophia process it and they grow closer.

Tension builds between Jane and Evan as the story reveals more mysteries. A woman who works for a company that Evan is pandering to for capital for his new venture becomes suspicious that they're having an affair. Beatrice's voice also leads us to the same conclusion.

The author did a great job of leaving the reader in mystery. The story builds up with mysteries and psychological scenes alternating with Beatrice's flashbacks.

The book builds slowly and then speeds up quickly near the end. Lindsay Marcott thoroughly laid out the background and developed the characters well. So many things could be true, and the author continues to evolve the mystery, so readers are unsure if Beatrice is alive or dead. Evan might have killed her, or she may have drowned in the sea. Or is she hiding in secret passageways (but how could she be since it's been months and no one's seen her)?

Some regular mystery writers might figure this out, I don't know. There was no foreshadowing that I detected and I didn't get solid conclusions, only guesses. At first, I thought she was dead; then I thought she wasn't. There are twists and turns to please any reader of mysteries or thrillers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it.